Whereas it has seemed to me probable that the unsuccessful application made for the commutation of his sentence may have prevented the said Nathaniel Gordon from making the necessary preparation for the awful change which awaits him: Now therefore be it known that I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, have granted and do hereby grant unto him, the said Nathaniel Gordon, a respite of the above recited sentence, until Friday, the 21st of February, A.D. 1862.... In granting this respite it becomes my painful duty to admonish the prisoner that, relinquishing all expectation of pardon by human authority, he refer himself alone to the mercy of the common God and Father of all men.--Proclamation of Respite for a Convicted Slave Trader, February 4, 1862. _Complete Works_, II, 121-22. Being a humble instrument in the hands of our Heavenly Father, as I am, and as we all are, to work out His great purposes, I have desired that all my works and acts may be according to His will; and that it might be so, I have sought His aid.--Reply to Mrs. Gurney and Deputation from Society of Friends, September [28?], 1862. _Complete Works_, II, 243. In full view of my great responsibility to my God and to my country, I earnestly beg the attention of Congress and the people to the subject.--Message to Congress recommending Emancipation with Compensation to Owners, March 6, 1862. _Complete Works_, II, 130. It has pleased Almighty God to vouchsafe signal victories to the land and naval forces.... It is therefore recommended to the people of the United States that at their next weekly assemblages ... they especially acknowledge and render thanks to our Heavenly Father for these inestimable blessings; that they then and there implore spiritual consolation in behalf of all who have been brought into affliction by the casualties and calamities of sedition and civil war; and that they reverently invoke the Divine guidance to our national counsels, to the end that they may speedily result in restoration of peace, harmony, and unity.--Special Thanksgiving Proclamation, April 10, 1862. _Complete Works_, II, 143.